Computer Games (1990)

Computer Games Magazine (originally called Strategy Plus, then Computer Games: Strategy Plus; usually abbreviated to CGM) is a monthly magazine primarily devoted to PC games, although its coverage has expanded in recent years. It was the second-oldest PC game magazine in America after Computer Gaming World, and took an intellectual, text-heavy approach to coverage that makes it unique in its field.

Despite being financially solvent, the magazine was suddenly shut down on March 12, 2007, after parent company The Globe was found liable for millions of dollars in damages in a spam-distribution lawsuit filed against it by MySpace.

History

CGM has a long and complicated history compared to other U.S. PC magazines. It began life in 1988 as Games International, a British magazine founded by Brian Walker and devoted exclusively to board and tabletop wargames. It began covering computer games with issue 9 (September/October 1989), and ended with issue 16 in July 1990.

The magazine resurfaced in October 1990 under the name Strategy Plus; its focus was now squarely on computer games, although it still retained a boardgame section until issue 10.

In 1991, Walker sold a license to publish Strategy Plus in America to Chips and Bits Inc., a mail-order software business founded by Yale and Tina Brozen in June 1990. The UK-based Strategy Plus ran out of money half a year later, and Chips and Bits took over control of the magazine beginning with issue 18 (March 1992). From that point forward, the editorial team was based in Chips and Bits headquarters in Rochester, Vermont, with Walker at the helm.

Walker left Strategy Plus with issue 33 (August 1993) after a legal dispute with the company. In his stead, the magazine continued, eventually changing its name to Computer Games.